Nothing Less
by MidnightGenius
Summary: Short n Sweet. Yuki comes home hearing sniffles. Who could it be and why are they crying? Rating for things that are implied. Hurt/Comfort


Short and sweet really. traditional plot, but done with just a few moments in time. Probably the best thing I've ever done with Gravitation. It's been ages since I've written a oneshot...  
Anyway, thank you to Ravie-dono who helped me figure out the title and who also betaed this for me.. she did a FANTABULOUS job.

As well, the Yuki I've refrenced mine off of is the Yuki of the end of the manga.

So, read on and enjoy!

* * *

Yuki returned home from a meeting having drinks with Seguchi and, quiet as always, entered the place he shared with Shuichi whenever he hadn't upset the brat or kicked him out. He set down his keys and took off his sunglasses and stiffened immediately. Was that a...sniffle? 

He listened closer. A quet sob, a whimper, and another sniffle. Shuichi hadn't been here in a while; he'd been busy, it couldn't be him, right? His brother wouldn't be caught dead crying in his apartment and he'd just left Seguchi, so who the hell was it?

A few minutes of searching led him to the smallest room and the discovery that it was indeed Shuichi who he heard. He stood at the entrance, frozen. Yuki had yet to make his presence known and he hesitated. Shuichi's clothes were disheveled and dirty, he was bruised and slightly bloody, curled in the corner crying.

Yuki was unsure he should get involved. He knew Shuchi probably...needed him but he was certain this was going to be something he himself would find...awkward.

But why was the brat even here? Wouldn't he normally--ah, but Hiro was out of town. Out of town and out of reach, it appeared. Delicate Shuichi had nowhere else to go; he couldn't possibly go home like this, not with his mother and sister there.

He pushed his own feelings aside and knelt before the little one. He almost flinched with Shuichi when he brushed the hair away from his face, but he was not going to drown in memories; this wasn't about him.

Shuichi was a mess. His eyes were red and there was a rather ugly bruise on his face, but when Yuki offered his arms the singer accepted, burying his face in Yuki's shoulder and neck.

He leaned his head against Shuichi's as he wrapped his arms around the smaller body, offering comfort even if he had none to give. How Shuichi stood by him was a mystery to the writer.

How he could love the man was a mystery as well. He was cold, he was confusing, he was hard to understand or get along with, but Suichi did it anyway.

And now this, again. He couldn't stand to see Shuichi hurting like this again. There were so many memories, this shouldn't be so familiar. He should never have become accustomed to dealing with this situation.

Yuki gathered the younger in his arms and carried him towards the bed.

"'m sorry Yuki, so sorry..." Shuichi cried.

Yuki sat on the edge of the bed with the boy on his lap as they held eachother. "It's not your fault, Shu. Don't apologize, you did nothing wrong." He gently petted his hands through Shuichi's hair. They were going to get through this like they had gotten through everything else. "I'm here, you're safe, everything's alright. Hush now."

The younger nodded and eventually his sobs decreased to sniffles as he drifted to sleep in Yuki's arms with Yuki stroking his back.

They were both damaged now. This time was worse than the last, it seemed. The last had been Shuichi protecting Yuki from slander by the lead singer of Ask. This had been a random attack. The kind you hear about all the time but think can never happen to you.

That only made it hurt so much more.

Though was it worse what had happened to him? To have someone you love betray you? Yuki wasn't sure.

Shuichi was the only thing that mattered now. He was a fighter, he'd be alright. And if he wasn't, that's what Yuki was for. Because that's what you do when you love someone; you support them, right?

Yuki laid down and brought Shuichi with him. He'd be there when he woke up, to fight off the things that went bump in the night, to protect what was his from memories that shouldn't have been. He'd be there for Shuichi, like he had been for so many other times, and like he hadn't for still more.

Because he loved the damn brat. Nothing more and nothing less.


End file.
